ABSTRACT
Combat refers to the immediate and direct use of lethal force by opposing armed groups, normally during a war. As an extreme form of human behavior, it has long been of interest to historians, social scientists, and psychologists. In particular, given the very great risk of death and injury, they have sought to explain the frequently observed willingness of soldiers to fight and to die for each other. Scholars have been fascinated by the phenomenon of the cohesion of the small military group. This entry analyzes the different approaches that have been taken to explain this phenomenon, describing how explanations that appealed to primary group solidarities and, subsequently, to political motivation have been displaced by a contemporary paradigm that prioritizes training and professionalism.
